There was once a small village set in the stunningly beautiful Lake District that was idyllic if you wanted that small town vibe where everyone knows each other. There were a few family run B&B’s, a couple of local pubs and two modest but friendly restaurants. Over the last twenty years, it has grown from a sleepy little village where you could escape for a few days, to a commercial hotspot. Coaches of tourists now flood into the village daily, which is peppered with chain coffee shops and boutique hotels. Investors saw that this village was popular and sought to capitalise on its popularity, but in doing so they killed the very thing that made the village so special. My point is that in the scramble to make money, large corporations and investors often neither see nor care about the bigger picture, only the immediate gains.

There’s something quite satisfying when an organisation that sees itself as untouchable gets a swift kick to the proverbial bollocks. These last weeks EA has been taken to task by the gaming community over the controversial inclusion of lootboxes and microtransactions in their latest game. More specifically, a pay to win system that so far had only ever been found in free mobile games. Considering Battlefront two was already asking for a premium price, the additional monetisation was seen as EA stepping well over the line. This was always going to happen but nobody could have predicted it would unfold in such a spectacular fashion. Many websites and popular YouTubers have stepped up in their condemnation of EA’s wanton greed. Seeing their marquee IP being dragged through the news has even led to Disney contacting EA and having a word. Indeed, when you have a company that only does things for a profit, you better believe having three billion wiped off their stock value has gotten their attention.

You can analysis and conjugate until the cows come home but all this really comes down to is simple greed. Electronic Arts make tens of billions from publishing games and they use this river of money to further cement their power by buying up more developers and intellectual properties. I will fully concede that making revenue is what a company should be doing and investors wouldn’t expect anything less. However, like the village in the Lakes this kind of aggressive monetisation is going change the face of gaming forever and might I add this will be a change for the worst. All the major players in publishing and marketing games have realised that microtransactions are a big deal: last year 42% of Take Two’s profits were from microtransactions alone. Jim Sterling has exhaustively covered this topic and is fighting the good fight, so instead of me trawling through it all in my blog, I would far rather defer to his fine work. The bottom line is that if we let them, these publishers and developers will turn gaming into a very expensive proposition where you no longer purchase a game outright but pay for it continuously, ‘games as a service’. Well EA, I don’t want a fucking service thank you very much, I just want to pay a fair price for a game and play it.

Onto something more positive, I addended a rather fantastic gaming event last month: the PLAY Expo in sunny Manchester. Held at the EventCity Exhibition Centre I was able to attend as press for the Saturday but unfortunately had to miss the Sunday due to family commitments. While not on the same scale as Gamescom this show had a brilliant retro vibe. The arcade section, in particular, was great, with so many games I’d played in my younger days. The best part is that they are all free to play, you just have to prod the start button! Operation Wolf, The Simpsons and the original Battle Zone (yes with the twin sticks!) were standouts for me. I also had a chance to check out some interesting new indie games currently in the pot, one in particular that stood out was Hyper Sentinal. This old-school shooter is being developed by a chap whose father worked on many of the Sinclair Spectrum games of old. If you get a chance you can check out his game here with a cool backer bonus of getting the game on an actual cassette.

It’s been a few months since I published a blog post and this is mainly because the review work has gone through the roof. I will always try and post a blog every two weeks but of course, I cobble them together from interesting things I see and do. In the last two months, I have reviewed quite a few excellent games but the two I would most recommend are Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus and Assassin’s Creed Origins. In actual fact, I am still playing Origins well after I have finished the main campaign, which is a testament to how much more of an interesting this game world it is compared to many other open world games of late. You can check out these two reviews here and here respectively.

This week I shall be taking a look back at the games I have played this year and deciding on which will receive the much coveted (maybe) Rigged for Epic Game of the Year award. I can honestly never remember a year with so much controversy and drama, from the wonky faces in Mass Effect Andromeda to the removal of mod support from GTA Online. However, in between all these ripples of outrage, we have had some utterly astounding games. So many in fact that I know I have actually had to miss a few with the full intention of reviewing them at a later date. There are no notable PC releases that I will be covering now before Christmas so once my GOTY is topped and tailed it's on with my next big project. This holiday I will be setting out my goals for next year and there are some big changed coming to Rigged for Epic, so watch this space!

This is my last blog post before the Christmas holidays so please let me thank all you folks who take the time to read my reviews. In a world where video is increasingly becoming the defacto way to consume gaming media, it is heartening that I get so much positive feedback from gamers who love to read a good review. I hope your Christmas is everything you want it to be and I shall see you all in the new year.

The stages have been pulled down, the queues are finally gone and the dust has settled from Gamescom 2017. This is the first year I attended the yearly games show as an official member of the press and so I thought I’d share some of my thoughts. Living in Manchester it is neither cheap nor easy for me to get to the event and being partly disabled makes this a particularly grueling journey. All considered though, I still wouldn’t have missed this years Gamescom for the world. One major advantage of being allowed in a day early is that there is more space to breathe, look around and take in the spectacle of Gamescom. If you have never been before the Koelnmesse Centre is a gargantuan structure on the banks of the river Rhine, comprised of eleven aircraft hanger sized halls, connected with corridors and small open spaces. Considering the sheer scale of the event it is ridiculously well organised and I take my hat off to all those hard working folks that make it happen.

Even though I had a list of priority games I wanted to see, walking in with my press pass made me feel like a dog that hadn't been for a walk for twelve months: I wanted to piss on every metaphorical tree! First stop, Destiny 2 for a hands on with the PC version running in glorious 4K. The open/close PC beta has since happened so, for now, I’ll just say I was impressed how well it was running. A t-shirt and can of Monster was also much appreciated.

My next stop was the Microsoft stand which took some effort to get into due to it being cordoned off and guarded by some quite rude security. However being part ninja I was able to sneak my way in (via the free pastries) and finally got to play Cuphead. This little gem is a stylised action platformer with a 1930’s theme. What is also great is that under this unique aesthetic there is a very competent game that reminded me of the classic Gunstar Heroes. I’ll run the trailer below and let you soak up all that old school goodness: I’ll be reviewing Cuphead on release this autumn.

There are always game stands where you know what you’re going to get and so unless you have a queuing fetish your time will be better spent elsewhere. One gaming series that I have always followed is Assassins Creed, even the bad ones like Unity and AC3 have been a guilty pleasure of mine. There is no denying that things needed to evolve; despite Syndicate being amazingly well made. Assassins Creed Origins is Ubisoft answering their critics and according to them, changing a few fundamental aspects of the gameplay. The setting this time around is Ancient Egypt and initially, I had worries about the desert being too flat: however this is not the case with verticality everywhere. As always the art team has outdone themselves with sumptuous historical details and this is one of the main reasons I love AC games (even the bad ones). As for a jump forward in gameplay, while there are certainly some refined systems, like combat and navigation, I didn't see the revolution we've been told about. However, for now, I'm happy to report Origins looks stunning and if you are a fan of the series then you’ve got something to look forward to.

I’ve always loved the Farcry games, towers and all. I guess like Assassins Creed; folks are hoping the series would evolve a little. Unfortunately, we are currently going through a period in gaming where not many big studios/publishers are willing to take chances. At the end of the day, you know what you are getting with a Farcry game and I love the rural America setting this time around. I suspect it might be a bit close to home given what is going on in Murcia right now, but if art can imitate life then I’m all for gaming to be part of that.

I also got a chance to try out Shadow of War from within the impressive stand at Gamescom. I thought the first game was fabulous as it surprised a lot of people with its fast combat and unique Nemesis system. The sequel is also looking just as good, with slick visuals and a more refined combat system. When the first game was released it came to light that Warner Bros had been paying popular YouTubers to give Shadow of Mordor biased praise, which is ridiculously stupid considering it didn't need this help. Now once again Warner Bros seem intent on shooting their own toes off by infusing micro transactions in this single player game: something they’ve been heavily criticised for. I won't sugar coat my opinion, this is a greedy move and it’s clear these micro transactions have been baked into the gameplay loop. Now you can lose orcs lieutenants permanently but oh look; you can also buy new ones with real cash as well as other consumables. Not happy to stop with the self-sabotage there, they have also been accused of profiting from the death of one of their own developers. While working on the game Michael Forgey sadly died of cancer and as a result, Monolith decided to offer a piece of DLC in his memory. Not free (of course) but stating that profits would go to support his surviving family. It was this week that Total Biscuit exposed something troubling with a look at the small print, indicating that many of these game sales won't go to the family of this deceased developer. Warner Bros has since come out and stated that both they and Monolith won’t profit from these sales. So the question begs, where is the money going? You can check out Total Biscuits video here.

In the last few years, it’s like all the big game companies got together and decided to have a ‘who’s the biggest dickhead’ competition: even YouTube got invited. Although EA and Activision were always favourites in this race, Bethesda seems to be now racing ahead of the pack. All these shenanigans deserve their own article but for now, I just wanted to touch on Bethesda latest scheme to make money. After their last ham fisted attempt at milking money from game mods, you would think they would have stayed clear and stuck to making good games. Unfortunately, the chance to nickel and dime their loyal fans was too tempting to pass up and so we have now been given the Creation Club.

Modding is one of the most interesting parts PC gaming, creative folks who love to keep their favorite games going well beyond their vanilla borders by pouring their talent into creating free updates for us. This love of creating game content is night and day from the bean counters within the massive companies that have now set their sights on modding for another source of revenue. According to Bethesda, this was a new idea that would make sure talented mod makers would see some money for their toils. You’d think such a generous gesture would be based on the creators getting a cut of every mod sold from the store, funnily enough, it’s based on thresholds passed. If the Creation Club had launched with high-quality items, unique to the platform that would be something: but it seems not. Pretty much everything you can buy so far is available for free elsewhere and to make matters worse; reports now say there are tight limits on the size of mods. Bethesda, will you please stop trying to squeeze money out of gamers and get back to, you know, making games.

Last week I and my happy band of PC gaming chums got to try Destiny 2 in the closed/open beta. It was a short beta to be sure but from previous experience, this isn't a bad thing. I was looking at two main factors: how did it run and how did the multiplayer hold up. There is no denying that Destiny 2 looks amazing on PC, runs like greased-lightning and has a tonne of options you would expect on a good PC port. Playing with a mouse and keyboard is also a joy and allows for razor shaper controls. The multiplayer also felt surprisingly fast and responsive, the predicted problems related to no dedicated servers didn't appear for us but of course, a live game might change that. Out of the group of players who tried the beta from my gaming community, most loved it, some thought it was ok and a few didn't like it at all. Destiny was an MMO styled shooter for casual players with some degree of challenge but the hard work came in the form of repetitive grinding. I like many was hoping we would see a massive leap forward with the new game, alas we have not. That doesn't mean we can't enjoy what is here, as long as we go in with realistic expectations. Destiny 2 is now out on console and is getting mixed but overall good reactions, with some outcry over the micro transactions. I’m not really going to think about it now until we get near to October 24th. If you are planning on playing Destiny 2 on PC and you are short of a group to play in my gaming community Exterminatus still has places.

It really does seem like our beloved games industry is going through something of phase, where the larger developers and publishers are making some very silly decisions. I must apologise for what is quite a negative blog post, I hope we see a shift soon where decent developers like CD Projekt Red take the lead and it once again becomes about making a great game (not a great profit). If you haven't already please check out my latest reviews of Darkwood and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, both amazing games. You can also expect reviews for Life is Strange - Before the Storm and Divinity: Original Sin 2 this week. Thank you for reading my latest blog post and I will check back with you guys very soon, take care for now.

Like the calm before the storm, we are now in a vacuum before the autumn onslaught commences. In a very short space of time, we will have an insane amount of games landing on us. This lull in releases is common around the time of E3 because most sensible publishers don't want to go up against the drums of the popular LA convention.

E3 was an interesting show for sure and while most conferences came off without many problems there was also a sense of disappointment in the air. I have covered E3 in three articles: each one covering two of the shows. Out of all the company's vying for our attention, I would say Ubisoft came out the strongest, with some excellent games on show and real emotions (not that fake crap we saw from EA). If you would like to read about my thoughts (complete with trailers) on E3 you can find all three pieces in the article section starting here.

Of course, there's never a month where no worthy games arrive at our shores and June was no different. Dead Cells was an early access game I’d played that the PC Gamer ‘Weekender’ event and it's been great to dive in this week. As I sat down to play I pondered whether or not to do a full review or preview piece; then I had an idea. With so many developers going down the early access route these days, why not have a special section on the website I thought. So I’m very happy to unveil ‘In the Oven’ this month, which will be all about games that are in the making. As these games leave early access they will then get a final review and head off to the review section. As updates happen and new features land, I will update my impression accordingly. Obviously, there are hundreds of new games on PC every day, so I’ll be cherry picking those titles that I think you need to know about: such as Subnautica or Astroneer.

The Summer Steam Sale has just come to an end and with it, I would hope we all have squirrelled away some juicy morsels for the winter ahead. As always, when you’ve survived a few Steam Sales finding those hidden gems becomes more like gold digging. It is a shame that so many games get released on Steam these days because it has become just impossible for even the biggest sites to consider them all: most being shovelware at best. In actual fact this onslaught of ‘nothing’ games does give sites like mine a new purpose, in guiding gamers through the darkness to those hidden gems; yeah I’ve been playing too many RPGs recently.

With Gamescom less than two months away I’m now getting myself geared up with all the kit I need. I’ll be flying solo this time so it is going to be a busy few days, but I’m hoping next year I can afford to take an extra pair of hands. I am also going to be attending the EGX event in Birmingham but will not be attending as Press because I’m not sure how knackered my legs will be after Gamescom. However, I’m really excited to see EGX as I’ve not been to this particular show before and it's only a two-hour drive from Manchester.

Last of all, I’d like to point you in the direction of my latest retro-review: Crashlands. A heart warming and inspirational story lies in the foundations of this quirky indie title. Even if you never play the game, Crashlands has a story all gamers should hear. Ok, that’s all for now folks, sorry for the delay since my last Blog post; I should be back on track for the foreseeable future. Don't forget to keep an eye on the Shooting Gallery this week as I’ll be updating this section with the latest games I’ve played. If you spot a PC game I should be covering please let me know at riggedforepic@gmail.com or on Twitter @riggedforepic where you can get all my updates.

It has been a busy few months for the games industry with some absolutely stonking games landing at our feet. Since my last blog post I have reviewed quite a few titles but the stand-outs for me are Nier: Automata, Rain World and the just released Prey. If you are looking for a new game to sink your time into I can recommend all three of these games for different reasons: check the reviews section for more details.

Prey has actually arrived amidst some fairly controversial goings-on. The most notable of these was IGN giving the game a score of 4/10 (since changed to 8/10) due to a progression halting bug they encountered. As always with the internet, opinions will vary, but my own take on this 'review' is that it was not a review at all but a journalistic tantrum by a guy who should know better. I have never used game scores in my critiques and never will. I believe they devalue the review, become impossible to balance (due to endless comparisons) and, to be frank, are not worth the trouble. Obviously, other sites can do as they wish because that is their prerogative. However, when you are the biggest games media site on the planet you would be foolish not to at least understand that an unfair score will have far-reaching consequences for that games developer. People could (and will likely) lose their jobs, that particular series could be discontinued but the most annoying for me: a person could be put off playing a game they would have loved. All these things should not influence a critic's verdict but these potential consequences do mean that every critic has a duty to review each game fully and fairly. Six days after release and the bug has been completely fixed, yet that crushing score will now remain on the internet across various sites forever. I personally think this is a tragedy for a game that is this good, has taken some risks and has clearly been a labour of love for the team at Arkane.

If I'm being fair, I also have to lay some blame for this situation at the feet of Bethesda due to their ridiculous policy regarding review copies. When the big B announced they would no longer be furnishing media sites with advanced copies for the purpose of review journalists were collectively flabbergasted. The problem now is that all sites get a game on launch day and must then scramble to get a review out before it loses its relevance. This means that gamers who want to play on release day must go into a purchase blind, not only in terms of game quality but also regarding bugs and performance issues (this is especially critical for PC Gamers). Now to be frank, I don't care about being first out as my reviews are a work of passion and I'm not in this for the clicks. In contrast, most big media sites live and die by the Internet traffic they generate. I believe it is this pressure that has already led to many reviews by mainstream sites being rushed out of the door. In the case of Prey, rather than wait for a fix (which we knew was coming) IGN slapped a big 'do not buy' on Prey and moved on. This is a very shitty thing to do considering how much weight IGN have in the world of gaming. The bottom line for me is this: if you haven't played the game you can't publish a review. Interestingly, Dan Stapleton (who reviewed Prey for IGN) suggested on Twitter that my very existence makes him angry and I make 'the rest of us' (I assume proper reviewers) look bad. I must admit I am surprised that IGN are happy for their editors to throw abuse around on social media unchecked: maybe Dan should watch Kingsmen for a lesson in manners.

Moving on, the future of two game series have sailed into murky water this week. With the mixed reception of Mass Effect Andromeda, it seems EA have been doing a bit of soul-searching. They have now confirmed the Mass Effect journey will be going on a 'hiatus'. I personally enjoyed elements of Andromeda but also recognise it was loaded with problems and repetitive gameplay loops. Let us hope they wipe the board clean (again) and this time focus on innovation, as well as what made the series great in the first place. Some Q&A would also be champion. Also this week Square Enix have announced a split with Hitman's creators IO Interactive. This decision comes in the wake of some massive financial losses for the publisher. All is not lost, however, as there seems to be plenty of interest from third parties in picking up the Danish developer. There are good indications that the game's second season is actually well into development, so hopefully Agent 47 will be back with us soon. Regardless, we wish the people over at IO Interactive the very best of luck during this uncertain period.

So what's next for gaming in 2017? Well, dare I say it, there are a quiet few weeks coming up as we start the final approach to E3. Obviously, there will be leaks and rumours galore, as always I'll be scanning the airwaves for all PC related game news. I am going to be spending the next few weeks working on the website and getting my recording studio finished off. I might also have a jaunt through all them early access games I keep buying and see what the current state of play is.

Lastly, I am thrilled to announce that I have been granted a press pass for Gamescom 2017, which means I'll be covering the event from Cologne this year. Rigged for Epic started out as a small project but now seems to be growing bigger than I'd ever hoped and these last few months I've hit some important milestones. I think the question of whether to start producing video content is now a matter of when and not if. Thank you to everyone who reads my work and especially my friends in the Exterminatus Gaming community: if you are looking for a solid group to game with you could do a lot worse.

We all have gaming habits and these are often fashioned by the games we play. From the days of Ultima Online and onwards I would always have some kind of persistent online world on the back burner. Yes, I would break off to play single player games or more contained online titles: but then return to whatever digital landscape I was currently squatting in.

Looking back I would say I have played the majority of well know MMOs from WoW, Age of Conan, Guild Wars 2 and so on. Some of my best friends have been made while navigating these digital worlds in the search for... well I actually couldn't tell you right now. Maybe somewhere to put my mark or could it be the sheer act of achieving something together? I think as humans we do have this need within our roots and short of the internet being turned off I will always have at least one finger in the MMO pie.

As we prepared for Wildstar the feeling that this was the MMO to succeed WoW was strong: it has every box checked. Yet for some reason, Wildstar did not cut the cheese and while not shut down the game now resides in MMO limbo. So what next I asked? While never unveiled officially the now infamous project Titan was a beacon of hope for 'MMO 2.0' and it was a huge blow to the genre when it was canned by Blizzard. Everquest Next was the only other light on the horizon which looked to be changing the MMO formula and unfortunately, this project was scuttled by Daybreak Game Company: a move that really pissed off a lot of gamers including myself. In actual fact, the Landmark servers were shut down last week which is very sad considering the amazing creations players had fashioned from its Voxel landscape. It really does seem like the old school MMO scene is ending and simultaneously being replaced by a swathe of free to play efforts that are ten a penny. While sad I also find this shift interesting and will be taking a look at the history of MMOs and how they have affected our gaming lives.

It is surprising then that the MMO I was searching for was sitting right under my nose. More on from that I had actually tried it nearly a year back but got pulled away due to some other commitments. For the last month a friend of mine has been playing one of the most complicated games I have ever seen: every day her status would read 'Black Desert Online' and this rarely changed. She eventually persuaded me to re-install BDO and give it another whirl. What is this game I've been missing out on? I mean really, Black Desert Online is the game that puts 'massively' in MMO. I am currently getting to grips with the finer points of tomato farming and beer brewing: watch this space for a full retro review and gallery.

So this weekend just gone I was able to make it down to the big smoke and attend the PC Gamer Weekender event. It included stage shows with the PC Gamer writers talking to developers as well as all the usual gaming event tomfoolery. Plenty of VR stands were in place this year as well as workshops for people to learn the tricks to building their own PC gaming Rig. I was impressed that some of the US staff had flown over to take part: that's a long flight for two days. I also got the chance to sight see in in London which is always a treat: there are few cities in the world this good for people watching. One game I did try that has me excited was Dawn of War 3, as you might expect the game has evolved a little from its last iteration (but not too far). It was also good to meet some of the Star Citizen developers and hear how progress is going.

Last but certainly not least you can now check out my review for Sniper Elite 4 here. This week a game called Oxygen not Included arrived for early access purchase on Steam and so I will be taking a look as soon as possible. If you don't already you can follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic for all my updates, ramblings and reviews. If you do get a chance please tell you friends about my site, the best place for honest PC content and not a single advert in sight.

Happy new year to all you fine people out there, 2017 is well under way and the great machine is already roaring to life. We've got a cracking year ahead of us in terms of game releases: hell we might even see Star Citizen launch in some capacity (but probably not). While PC gaming is certainly a force to be reckoned with it would be foolish to think that the other players on the field don't affect us.

Back in 1997, I spent weeks visiting my local game shop for hours at a time, why you might ask? A little game called Mario 64 running on a demo machine had totally captured my imagination. I hadn't been part of the Super Nintendo movement but it was clear this new system from Nintendo was going to be special. Games like Golden Eye and Ocarina of Time were instant classics and make the N64 one of my favourite consoles to this day.

A few days ago Nintendo unveiled their new box of tricks: the Switch. Looking at the bigger picture I think the Switch has some pretty big obstacles to overcome. Despite a friendly face, Nintendo is not a customer focused company, they very rarely listen (or at least respond to) fan requests and often make what are frankly idiotic choices: such as handling voice chat through a mobile app. I also think the way they chase YouTubers for 'copyright' infringements is insane, especially because most of these fans are promoting Nintendos product (for free). A system is only as good as they games available and the launch line up is abysmal, maybe the worst I've ever seen: but then I have to remind myself that the N64 only launched with three games. There are also plenty of extra costs that I suspect many gamers are not weighing up properly. The Joy-Con controllers are tiny and for blokes like me with big hands, they will be uncomfortable: so I would be left paying an additional £60 for the Pro (normal sized) controller. The online service will also now come with a subscription and yet offer very few benefits from what we've seen: there's even news that Netflix and other streaming services will not be coming to the Switch. The most worrying aspect of the new console is that apart from Skyrim (which isn't even the remastered version), the third party support looks very light which is one of the main factors which killed the WiiU. I would honestly love to see Nintendo succeed with the Switch but it seems they are still the same old Nintendo as they have always been, one step behind and stubborn to the last.

For the last week, I've been delving back into Arkham Knight, a game that landed on PC with much controversy. There were so many technical problems that Warner Bros has no choice but to removed it from sale until the issues had been addressed. Now many of these wrinkles have ironed out I decided to dive back into the fray: I've become a bit obsessed with the Batman as of late. I have actually finished Arkham Knight twice in seven days: one normal play through and then another to get every Riddler puzzle. I also picked up the season pass in the Christmas Steam sale and while not worth the initial ridiculous asking price there are some excellent additional stories here. I really like how Rocksteady has adapted the controls to fit new character styles such as Batgirl, Cat Woman and Harley Quinn. Some of the series long-standing villains also top and tail their story arcs and others such as Batgirl give some more layering to events which transpire in the main game. I have finally beaten the main game, finished all the DLC and can let the Dark Knight rest for a while. If plans come to fruition this year I will be taking a far closer look at Arkham games and weighing up how it has influenced other developers.

Last week Gabe Newell's AMA was about as informative as an IKEA manual written in ancient Latin, but there were a few nuggets of information to take away. Valve are still interested in developing games (really?) and are still, in fact, working on a single player title of some sort. In addition, they are also working on various VR titles, some of which I assume will use the 'knuckles' prototype that was shown off last year in Seattle. When asked about Half-life 3 Gabe continued to be aloof and so once again we know nothing: I get the feeling most people are past caring now.

Jon Peddie Research has just announced that the PC hardware sales have breached the $30 billion mark and so despite some ill-informed naysayers PC gaming is growing faster than many had predicted. This number includes pre-built and custom gaming rigs. The research company also stated that hardware is set to grow by six perfect through 2019. As PC gaming becomes a bigger player in the industry more and more gamers who previously would never have considered it are now recognising a very simple fact: that if you want a game to look it's very best PC is where you can get this.

Resident Evil 7 has just landed in my inbox so I will be delving into this new survival horror offering today. This time the developers have taken the brave (and necessary) move to step away from the guns blazing sequels and revisit real horror once again. I have also been poking some of the early access games I have on the slow burner as a few have had substantial updates. The first of these games is a space survival game called Osiris: New Dawn which came out last year and shows huge promise. The recent and fairly large update includes a new planet to explore so I have started from scratch and am currently building my way to space once more.

Last but certainly not least, I have just posted a review for Oxenfree which released back in 2016 and which comes highly recommended by ACG. If you are looking for a new adventure game that has many secrets deep within its story then check out my review of Oxenfree here. It is spoiler free of course. That is all for now guys, take care and I hope your gaming is epic wherever you are.

I've been thinking about my own awards for over a month now, two weeks ago I drew up a list of all the possible games to consider and this week I locked it down to a final draft. This has been a checkered year and no mistake. Sure there have been some heartbreaking disappointments but then there have also been some amazing successes. So after much deliberation and confabulation you can now check out my list of awards for 2016 here. I hope you find it enjoyable and maybe see a game or two that you missed in the deluge of releases this year.

Two weeks ago Hello Games finally broke a month-long silence and released the 'foundation update' which (if I'm being fair) contains a decent amount of content including base building, various gameplay modes and even the ability to buy your own space freighters. While I'm not sure it works with the original theme of the game it is clear they have put a lot of work into it. In another interesting turn of events the ASA (advertising standards agency) based in the UK have ruled that Hello Games did not mislead customers... say what? Now the ASA have only looked at the Steam page and ignored the other countless examples of Sean Murray lying through his teeth: which kinda irks me. Surely if you want to look at how people had been misled you look at all the media, interviews and shameless promotions (IGN) that may have influenced hype. Even based on the trailer on the Steam page, Hello Games have misled gamers. After reading the report in full it's clear to me that the author simply does not know what they are talking about when it comes to the games industry: despite them clearly putting a lot of effort into explaining their investigative process. You can read the full report here.

I have also noticed a good amount of people online deciding to either buy No Mans Sky or dive back in and give it another shot: do people really need to believe so much? Now I have to give Hello Games props for not running for the hills and instead of putting in the effort to make it right. I could almost forgive them for the countless lies they told but the fact they have not even removed 'that trailer' from their Steam page feels like a slap in the face. At the end of the day everyone must make their own mind up but right now I still think Hello Games need to address the gaming world and set out exactly what when wrong (including a full and frank apology).

Reports are in from the sales of Watchdogs 2 and unfortunately for Ubisoft it's looking like the original Watchdogs sold better: far better. This could be down to how burned many people felt after the bullshit trailers used for the original were exposed: especially for PC gamers. There is also the fact that many big games this season have done poorly on sales, I personally think this is just down to saturation. When so many full priced games land in the same period gamers struggle to keep up both in terms of affording them all but also the massive time requirements. Regardless the PC version is out now and you can find my review here. I have found Watchdogs 2 to be fantastic fun and far better than I had expected: even the performance has been surprisingly good on PC. My favourite aspect so far has to be the hybrid multiplayer and the way it lets you invade other players while they play the single player game. As you initiate a hack you then watch the other player frantically search the area and if you are like me you can play with them like a cat plays with a mouse. Just remember the same can be done to you.

It's easy to write something off as bad. Countless times this year I've uttered the mantra 'fuck this year', almost always in response to listening to the news. As a UK citizen we have had Brexit happen and not wanting to get into a political rant I'll just say this: I don't agree with Brexit and think ignorance prevailed over wisdom. We have also seen our friends in the States go through a similar turbulent time with the election which ultimately ended with Donald Trump set to pick up the keys to the White House. Then on top of the tectonic plates of our political landscape shifting we have seen what seems a never ending list of stars pass. We all die, even the great people but to lose so many legends like David Bowe, Alan Rickman and Gene Wilder in one year is tough to take. It was especially shocking to hear about Anton Yelchin who died in a freak accident at his home: already a star but someone who had so much more to give. My list below is not exhaustive but these are the people who we lost this year that meant the most to me. Thank you for everything you did for us and may you each rest in peace.

This will be my last blog post before Christmas and the New Year, so I just want to say a huge thank you to all the people who help me with my site. Especially to my friend Daryl who gives me lots of sound advice, John who helps with tech support and my wife Debra for reading my work with her expert (elf) spellchecking eyes. I shall be publishing a roadmap right after the new year setting out our course through 2017 and a separate piece looking at the games we have coming over this next twelve months. It's going to be an awesome year and I cannot wait to get stuck in.

What is the role of a publisher? I have been thinking about this question a lot this week. While developers often appear to have a human side, publishers usually project a far more 'this is a business' image. Hey, I get it, publishers are not here to be my friend, to get me a good deal or give me a cuddle when I'm having a shit day: publishers are there to make money. So it can often seem like the decisions they make are not in gamers interests when really it's just about keeping the lights on.

However, while all this is true, the recent move by Bethesda to end the practice of review copies going to independent review sites is a huge step over the line as far as I'm concerned. So after a year when gamers have already been misled so many times, I question how Bethesda can justify this move and still claim to care about the media or fans. I think this is an important issue and so I wrote an article on it: you can check it out here.

This last few months have been a shooting gallery of multiplayer FPS games and now with Call of Duty Infinite Warfare just landing, the deluge has reached its apex. I have reviewed all these games apart from COD as the game has no interest for me but also the coffers are empty after such a busy month. If you would like to read my opinions for Overwatch, Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 you can find them in the reviews section. I love all three of these games and despite being roughly in the same genre each one offers very different gameplay experiences. Battlefield 1 does feel like the biggest of all these titles with a good collection of single player stories as well as stunning battlefields to rage war across. However this week Titanfall 2 has been keeping me up until the wee hours with its fast paced and addictive combat. Matches are over in minutes but there are so many exhilarating moments within these bouts you often feel breathless.

While I don't usually pay much attention to the COD series but something did catch my eye this year and it may just secure Activision a place next to Bethesda in the dumb publisher awards. For some reason, Activision thought it would be an awesome idea to make the players with a Steam version of COD: Infinite Warfare unable to play against those who bought the game on the Windows store. I would love to know whose gem of an idea this was and what bizarre thought process ended up with this in the go box. As it stands early predictions show that COD isn't doing all that great in sales and I'm sorry to say the writing is on the wall: it may be time to innovate instead of releasing the same game year in year out.

Tonight at midnight I will finally get my hands on Dishonored 2 and given my love for the original I cannot wait. As I have already covered, Bethesda has now implemented their ridiculous review policy and so at least my review will have a little more relevance this week. I am aiming to keep the quality of my review high but at the same time let you know as soon as I do how the game is looking. If you want early impressions keep tabs on my Twitter feed @riggedforepic

So with the world waking up to the news that Donald Trump is the 45th president of the USA I am feeling a little bewildered this morning. Assuming Trump can do all the (good) things he's claimed: he's still a racist, bigot and bully who thinks he can use his position to sexually assault woman. Good job America, let us just hope Fallout 5 doesn't come sooner than we would like

It has been an awesome year for gaming but for every success, we have had our share of disappointments. I wouldn't say No Mans Sky was a disappointment for me personally because I was sceptical from the start but one game that has let me down is Mafia 3. As we well know, games that don't send review copies out usually (but not always) have something to hide and unfortunately Mafia 3 has plenty.

Things didn't get off to a great start when the game launched with an FPS cap of thirty, obviously, the PC forums exploded and negative Steam reviews starting flooding in. With media outlets starting to review the game at launch this at least gave me a chance to furnish the world with a PC review that wasn't out a week after the big boys. The first thing I did was map the crouch key from 'X' to 'C' but when this essential skill stopped working entirely I ended up spending four hours and two fresh installs just to get the game working again. After the weekend patch, the FPS cap has been removed but only after all the skills have been remapped to completely different keys than before. To make matters worse the games performance is fairly poor and there are more bugs that the Bayou. Even with the repetitious gameplay loops Mafia 3 does have some very nice elements such as amazing cut scenes and compelling storytelling. If I'm honest while I'm annoyed PC gamers once again have been given a shitty port, I did have some fun with Mafia 3. You can check out my full review here.

These last three weeks I have actually been replaying one of my favourite gaming series of all time: Bioshock. Last month 2K released the Bioshock collection which allegedly remastered the first two games on PC and all of them on console. This port is shocking condition and instead of telling people about this legendary game I had to spend time picking through the mess of problems. Borked mouse acceleration, hard crashes, settings changing at random and the removal of all but the basic graphical options. It is interesting how the same company who worked on the Mafia 3 port also did the work on the Bioshock series (Blind Squirrel Entertainment), it seems these guys just don't think PC gamers deserve a game that works properly. I played through these problems and still had an absolute blast revisiting Rapture and Columbia once more: this time I also played through the two DLC story missions after Infinite. I now consider Burial at Sea (parts 1 & 2) as actually essential to the ending of Bioshock because so many mysteries and secrets are uncovered. You can find all three games in the review section as well as Burial at Sea which is also a final analysis of the whole series (so spoilers!).

As the Autumn nights grow darker many games pull on a Halloween themes coat and Overwatch has led the charge this year. There are now Halloween-esk skins etc for players to pick up in loot boxes and unlike the Olympic Games cosmetics: some of these can be bought with in-game currency. As I hoped it would, Overwatch has totally energised our community: myself and friends play it at least three times a week. Blizzard never seems to cease working on their new IP and it is really paying off for them.

So now I've polished off the Mafia 3 review what is next for this month? Well, games don't sneak up on me often these days, however, after seeing the review for Shadow Warrior 2 reviewed by ACG and Idiotech I decided to give it the review treatment which you can find here. I have also been chipping away at two early access games called Everspace and Osiris: New Dawn. The former is a space themed rogue like that so far is proving very enjoyable. Osiris is also a very interesting title but despite having some strong foundations still needs a lot of work. I am in fact still trying to decide what to do with early access titles as they don't really belong in reviews section: so some site formatting might be in order. Two games now firmly on the horizon are Battlefield 1 and Dishonored 2: so while many games have now landed the game of the year title is still very much for the taking.

Last of all I just wanted to touch on two unfortunate news stories that have come out this week, the first being that Watchdogs 2 will now be delayed from the 15th of November to the 29th of November on PC. Ubisoft released a statement yesterday stating that this extra time would allow them to "ensure that Watchdogs 2 runs smoothly across a broad range of hardware". As usual with these bullshit statements I translate this to mean they have now finished the all important console version and are now rushing to get the PC port in a playable state so they can then release it and start a system of patches over the next six months. In less surprising news while the gaming world celebrates the news that Red Dead Redemption is getting a sequel, PC gamers learn that once again we are being left out in the cold. I say it is not surprising because Rockstar who have never been big fans of PC (which is their prerogative) took two years to get the PC version of GTA 5 out and have never released the original Red Dead on PC despite a massive interest. I just think it's a real shame that we have a games platform that can make games look so good and for 'reasons' we're always last in the queue.

Those are my fortnightly ramblings for nowguys, if you do visit my site and like it please return soon and tell everyone you can about me. Every single like and retweet on Twitter is wholeheartedly appreciated and you can find me @riggedforepic

It has been an interesting few weeks in the world of technology and no mistake. Apple has apparently changed everything (again), VR has seen a huge drop off in sales and Sony have dropped a bollock with their new system. My theory is that console manufacturers are racing to release new hardware in an attempt to fill the ever growing gap between console and PC performance. So while not directly related to PC gaming it is still fascinating to watch these tectonic plates shifting under our feet. After this topic hit its third paragraph in my blog post I decided to make it into an article of its own so you can read my thoughts on the PlayStation 4 Pro here. Regardless of what happens with the new system, I cannot wait to check out the new Spiderman game.

This last week I have been getting stuck into the open beta of Battlefield One and for the most part, I absolutely love it. Out of all my friends who have tried it, not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the latest offering from Dice. Set in the First World War this era of conflict is rarely used and so feels fresh. There is no mistaking this is a Battlefield game with many of the systems from Battlefield 4 being dragged and dropped into the new title. I haven't played BF4 a while now so maybe that has helped this new game feel neoteric, but I really think the weapons and vehicles that come with the new setting fit Battlefield like a glove. I have penned my impressions of the beta here and for those that don't care for reading I have strung together some of my finer moments in the beta. If you don't watch the entire video I urge to at least watch until the second clip where my trusty steed avenges me after being shot off my horse.

As the release for Dishonored 2 is getting ever closer I decided it was high time I gave the original a little poke: as it turns out Dishonored is ageing very well indeed. One aspect of the game that really stood out in my play through was how well the visuals have held up. As I detail in my retro review, the art team used a wonderful painterly effect which is just shy of cell shading. Combining a stunning use of light and a rock solid engine makes Dishonored relevant way beyond its years. You can check out my retro review here.

I just wanted to mention that one of my favourite mainstream games Journalists has moved on from his job a Gamespot to pursue a new endeavour. Danny O'Dwyer has given up a job he loved to try his hand at freelance where he is hoping to create a unique space on the internet that will be home to many quality documentaries about gaming. I love the idea of someone making actual observations of the games industry and leaving a vault of information for future generations to see. If like me you have ever enjoyed his work on the Point and other gaming content you know this guy will do us proud. His new venture is called NoClip and you can find him trail blazing across the tinterweb here: I wish him all the very best.

Looking forward to this next few weeks I have got plenty to keep me busy and my first port in the storm will be none other that by old friend Bioshock. Just this morning I've set both the first remastered games to download and as soon as I return from a family trip on Sunday I'll be descending into Rapture once more. As mentioned already I'll be doing a full run of all three games and their respective DLC: then writing three comprehensive retro reviews which will include how the remaster has changed things. For those that don't know Bioshock Infinite has not received an update on PC because it was still too sexy to bother. Bioshock aside I have also been blasting my way through Everspace since yesterday and so you can expect a full early access preview soon.

That is all for now ladies and gents, would you kindly follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic and tell your friends about my site. Take care.

The quandary of No Man's Sky has provided an interesting week for many gamers, for some they have been given the Sci-fi romp of their dreams and others, the hype train came crashing off the tracks in an explosion of disappointment.

No Man's Sky is possibly one of the most divisive games I've seen in years, I am very disappointed to report that my opinion of the game is overall not a good one. I had anticipated the game would have some shortcomings or quirks, but the sad fact is that this highly coveted title from indie developer Hello Games has fallen well short of the mark for me. The PC version has arrived in a fairly unoptimised state with many crash bugs and glitches: while this poor PC version is in itself not good enough the problems I have with the game are much deeper and can't be patched so easily. The first trailers for No Man's Sky set the gaming world alight with intrigue and hope, was this the game we'd all been waiting for? Every fibre of my being was telling me this was too good to be true and that the team wasn't nearly big enough to make this kind of game. Just taking a look at the previous titles from the studio, it's mind blowing how they went from a sideways scrolling game like Joe Danger to a game with the magnitude of No Man's Sky. For the most part, gamers ignored all these facts and jumped on the hype train with both feet: like our old friend Mulder - we wanted to believe.

There are some impressive elements to No Man's Sky, the sheer scale of its game-space has never been matched by any other game. The fact you can see a moon from a planet's surface and within seconds be hurtling toward that moon is astounding. This entire universe was obviously not hand crafted but instead generated by a 'superformula', a procedural algorithm that has allowed eighteen quintillion planets to be generated with only the 'rules' of creation set by the developers. As impressive as this is I do think that when you use procedural maths to make everything, gamers will very quickly become tired of seeing the same basic templates stretched over a slightly different world. Surely it would be better to handcraft chunks of the game world and then use procedural content to fill in the gaps between? The best of both worlds if you like. If you want to read my full review of No Man's Sky for PC, please check it out here.

There are a few other reviews lurking around my site this week so if you are stuck for something to play why not check out my thoughts on Helldivers and ABZU: both reviewed very well. Helldivers is one of the most polished and fun twin stick shooters I've played in recent times: just make sure you have a few friends ready to jump in with you. ABZU is an absolutely exquisite game that feels like the spiritual sequel to Journey, you can check out both these games in the reviews section.

As summer starts to fade and the Autumn makes itself known we enter a quiet month, which has been great to take a break and catch up with a few smaller games (and a cheeky visit to London). However this year still has some big games left to release, notably Deus Ex: mankind divided, Watchdogs 2, Mafia 3, Battlefield 1 and Dishonoured 2. This year has certainly left me a little more wary of having high expectations for games, The Division seems to have vanished from the world and now No Man's Sky has left many gamers feeling deceived/letdown. Out of remaining releases, I pray Dishonoured 2 will be good because the original is one of my favourite games of all time. I think we know what to expect with Battlefield 1, it will sell well, have some bugs to start with and eventually end up fairly polished. It is actually Watchdogs 2 that really has something to prove this year due to the first title falling very short of what was originally shown, this was the game that (for me) displayed in neon lights how dishonest game developers can we when showing off their wares in staged trailers. Come November I shall be taking a very close look at Watchdogs 2 with a full review but also comparing it to the usual hype videos.

This week the world's gaming press has descended upon Germany for Europe's biggest gaming event: Gamescom. Due to a combination of factors (money and health being the main two) I have had to once again miss this year's event but, of course, that won't stop me covering the games and announcements from HQ back in the UK. I shall be pouring over every trailer, interview and reveal looking for all the news and information that pertains to PC gaming. With the EA press event kicking off in a few hours (at the time of writing) I shall post this and head to the bunker: let's hope we see many awesome games.

Human curiosity is a force of nature, our ability to wonder and dream is perhaps one of our most fascinating qualities and has lead to some of greatest achievements. We see curiosity in other species but we are unique in that we combine this with all the gifts that come with being a sentient life form. This week most of the developed world has succumbed to yet another fad, nothing new there you might say but this particular one has caught my attention because it hints at how social gaming could look in the future: I am of course talking about Pokemon Go.

This is what too much Sunny Delight did to kids in the 90's

If I ever needed proof that the gods are having a laugh at my expense it's that this social phenomenon has come when I'm housebound with a gammy leg. I've never had the urge to steal my elderly neighbour's mobility scooter before, hell I'm sure even he might be playing the damn thing. This Sunday I had my first trip out in weeks and while being driven to the pub for Sunday lunch with the in-laws I was frantically stabbing at my phone trying to catch enough to at least reach level five: in another cruel twist I made it to just shy of five before returning to my prison. It's intriguing watching people play this new augmented reality game, from my vantage point at the pub I could see people searching, some on their own, parents with excited groups of kids and gangs of teenagers all hunting, chatting or just watching others. Yes, it's a naff game, mostly fuelled by nostalgia but there is no denying the social aspects are fascinating.

You may have noticed a lull in activity from me this last week or so and the primary reason for this is that I took on the hefty task of playing the Witcher 3 from start to finish (including both pieces of DLC). I rolled over the finish line a few days ago and thus you can now find my final review here. Just checking Steam I currently have three hundred and sixty-four hours associated with the Witcher 3: for a single player game that is immense. In my travels with Geralt I have also captured some pretty good images which you can find in the Shooting Gallery here, so please check them out.

My router packed up yesterday to I am now waiting for a bod from Virgin Media to come and replace it tomorrow. Once that is done I can download a few of the games I gathered in the Steam summer sale and get some honest to goodness reviews out of the door again: watch this space! I love Steam and with a fairly chunky internet connection I can download most games in minutes but when you do lose the net for a period of time, you lament the days when games lived on your shelf and not at Valve.

In terms of PC games, it seems to have been a fairly quiet few weeks, Overwatch has had a new character revealed and some other tweaks. No mans Sky has gone gold and will be arriving with us next month so expect a full review as soon as I have played it enough. Given the purported scale of the game, I will in all likelihood be doing a preview to get some general first impressions out. I guess the big event on the horizon is Gamescom which draws ever closer. While I am gutted not to be going this year I will at least be able to get coverage and content out faster than when in the eye of the storm so to speak.

If you don't already please follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic and if you wish to contact me you can do so at Riggedforepic@gmail.com I hope you guys are having a great summer and your gaming is epic wherever you are.

So there we have it ladies and gents, it is one year to this week that I launched Rigged for Epic and it has been an amazing experience so far. My underlining drive to create Rigged was a personal one, a need to write my thoughts down about the games I play and thus it follows that I now wish to share my work. One thing I have found is that many online social hubs, (Reddit, forums etc) are very intolerant towards people like myself sharing my site, which I can understand. However as I speak to other gamers, journalists and content makers alike I feel like my site is now just starting to break through the wall. I am hoping to add new forms of content this coming year including a front page which will offer my readers an easy way to see what's on my site and where they can find it.

The big news of these last few weeks has of course been E3, the annual games event held in LA and it was a cracking show. As usual, the major players in the industry had their own shows to kick off the event and it is here we usually see most of the reveals and new information on games we already know are in development. I have pegged a few of the stand out PC games here complete with trailers. Please let me know if you think I have missed any important games that are coming to PC in the future.

I have finally made a break from playing Overwatch on a daily basis as other games are in need of my attention, although I suspect Blizzard's new shooter will be on my regular playlist for the foreseeable future. So what have I been doing wth my time? Well from Saturday I have delved back into the world of the Witcher and my goal of playing through the entire suite of Witcher 3 content is now well underway. Once again I'm being reminded of why this game sits on the throne of modern day RPGs and I will be letting you guys know my opinion of the two substantial pieces of additional content. As anyone who has played the Witcher 3 will attest to, the game is gargantuan in size and so for the next week, my site will be light on new content.

As most of you will be aware of the Steam summer sale kicked off last week and as many wallets brace for impact, gamers around the world scurry across the vast catalogue of deals on offer. As is always the case, when you have a good Steam sale and snag plenty of games, the next one will always bear less fruit. That said, I already have at least eight games in my cart and I am very much looking forward to bringing you the reviews for these interesting titles: watch this space.

I guess this is not directly relevant to a PC gaming blog but the world is reeling from the news that Britain is to leave the European Union. As someone who loved being part of something bigger I now find myself looking at my own country and not liking what I see. We all know the EU wasn't perfect but this shocking move goes against everything I wanted for my children and the place I call home. To all my friends and readers across the EU, I'm so sorry this has happened and am frankly gutted my nation voted for this course of action. I hope the British games industry does not suffer any ill effects and still continues to be a hotbed of talent and innovation.

That is all for now, guys, I hope whatever you are playing it is epic. If you don't already please follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic and if you have any feedback or comments you can send them to me at riggedforepic@gmail.com.

I'd taken a few hits but most had been absorbed by my front shield, the D.VA on the opposing team had been making considerable efforts to take me down: maybe a bit of robot rivalry? My team was now making its last push, to take the point and with only a minute remaining it was going to be tight. A dragon from Hanzo only managed to take out their Bastion so we would have to do this the hard way. Our tank class Reinhardt was making a valiant push up the centre with his shield providing cover, we rallied behind him and but they were just too many: a sterling effort with losses on both sides but one by one our team fell and it was over. But then a flash of light, my hands instinctively flew back onto mouse and keyboard: our Mercy had managed to cast her resurrect in the last second before going down. The opposing team were clearly as dumb-struck as us but we recovered faster: in a few seconds the combined firepower of Solider 76 and D.VA obliterated the remaining enemy players. Our Teamspeak channel erupted into joyous rapture and applause for our healer who had saved the day: moments like these are gold and they happen often when playing Overwatch.

Blizzard's first foray into the FPS genre finally landed last week and the launch was nothing short of flawless: but did we expect anything less from a developer like Blizzard who wrote the book on quality control? I have been surprised how many of my friends have refused to wait for the cosmetic items to drop from loot boxes and instead paid real money to buy them: even then you are still not guaranteed the items you want. I personally am happy to just play the game and wait, maybe that is because I'm older and a little bit more patient. Since Tuesday, I've poured all my spare time into Overwatch and am still feeling fresh and ready for more. However with other games on the horizon, I will soon have to sate my hunger for this absolutely epic arena shooter and cast my attention onto something new. I have reviewed Overwatch and this includes my first video review so please check it out.

May has now come to a close and as we look towards June those hot summer months (or probably only days in the UK) will see a slight vacuum of games in the run up to E3, which is still one of the biggest gaming events of the year. To spite this lull in activity there is still plenty to do, Mirrors Edge Catalyst will arrive on the 7th of June, the original was a slow burning success and now stands as a cult classic for many gamers including myself: check my site for a review soon. We also heard this week that the eagerly awaited No Man's Sky is being put back until July or possibly even August, which is a ways from the June 21st date. To spite feeling like the massively ambitious project will disappoint many, I am really rooting for the small UK based team.

Gamescom is drawing ever closer and I am still assessing whether my health will allow me to visit Cologne this year, however with tickets almost sold out now it's do or die time. I did attend Gamescom a few years back and had an absolute blast meeting many of my digital friends (because they are not real according to my wife) and also attending the VIP Wildstar party: that seems like a long time ago now. Assuming funding and health are willing this will be the first year I attend with Rigged for Epic to consider: alas I will need to start thinking about an actual website logo and some promotional leaflets.

The last piece of DLC for the Witcher 3 is now here and as the old Warcraft saying goes: 'I am not prepared'. The plan was always to start playing the Witcher 3 base game a few weeks before the last DLC dropped but due to time constraints (Overwatch) it has not worked out that way. So starting this week I will be heading back into the world of the Witcher once more, this time with a few goals of my own: first and foremost to achieve a better ending than my last effort. Secondly to explore the world a little more with a view to take on more of the excellent side quests. Most of all, and I guess the most obvious, is to run right through into both of the substantial DLC packages that will extend the game by a whopping fifty or so hours.

So last but certainly not least I played through Uncharted 4 last week and while I won't be doing a review you can check out some of my screenshots here. Uncharted 4 is by far one of the prettiest games I've ever played and displays a level of polish that might even give Blizzard a run for their money.

That's all for now folks, as always you can follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic, subscribe to my YouTube channel under the same name and if you wish to contact me you can do so at riggedforepic@gmail.com.

Bethesda did not do themselves any favours with the awful marketing they did for DOOM, in fact, they very nearly put me off buying it all together. The multiplayer beta was a disaster, not for one all-consuming reason but just because it came across as generic and boring. Then in a surprising move, the big B decided not to send any review copies out to media outlets, which as we all know is a good sign something is amiss. The reasoning given was so that reviewers would not critique the game's multiplayer aspects on empty servers: are you kidding me? Why not just embargo the multiplayer portion until a few days after launch thus allowing review sites chance to review the single player campaign?

Yet on launch day as I booted up the game with such legendary heritage something was not as it should be, this was good... actually, this was very good. It is always great when a game you assumed would be a flop actually turns out to be one of the better games you have played that year. I also think that the big media sites are going to show a disconnect with how they review DOOM and how the average gamer sees the remake of a classic. I have just finished reading IGNs review and I honestly think they just don't get it. Ok so if you come at this game with the mindset of comparing it to all the other modern FPS games out there then on paper DOOM will end up lacking in many aspects. However, I believe a remake of DOOM needed to be the old game but improved, not a new game that looked like the original: still with me? The game we have been given is fast, ferocious and leaves your palms sweating and heart thumping. If you would like to read my full review please check it out here.

So we finally got to play an elusive target mission, an aspect of the new Hitman game that has been living up to its name. In fact, near missed the damn thing and only caught it with four hours left due to a friend mentioning he'd just done it. So how was it? Well, it's interesting, on the face of things it was a fairly dull mission: find a famous artist and make sure he had painted his last masterpiece. However, the sheer fact that you get just one chance to play this mission made every move tense and I ended up second guessing everything I did. An impressive thing to accomplish when I know the Paris level like the back of my hand. I still need to check out the second setting for the new Hitman so expect an update on this soon.

Today marks the one-week countdown to Overwatch, a game that pretty much all much gaming friends are aching to play again: impressive considering how much we played the beta. There is a palpable sense of anticipation for this new arena shooter from Blizzard and while I held off as long as I could: I think I am on the hype zeppelin with the rest of the gaming world. From what we can see the launch version will be almost identical to the beta client so that should help me get a review out in good time.

After spending all week drooling at screenshots for Uncharted 4 I finally gave in yesterday and picked up a copy. Apart from work, my PC may be getting the longest rest it has had since I built it. I have only played a few hours so far but damn, Naughty Dog can make games like no one else. I might grab some screenshots for the Shooting Gallery because this might be one of the prettiest games I have ever played.

That is all for now folks, as always please follow me @riggedforepic, find me on Youtube under the same name and if you wish to contact me you can get me at Riggedforepic@gmail.com.

So I finally got myself a proper mic stand to go with my proper mic: a shiny Blue Snowball had been sitting there for well over a month and after several attempts to balance it on my knees while playing I decided it was time to get a stand. My desk is a weird shape and almost folds around me and in addition, the depth of the wood around the edge is so deep the mic arm clamp can't fit on it. Nothing a bit of sawing and sanding couldn't sort out of course and now I'm finally able to record my dull set tones in all their glory. If you are familiar with the Snowball you will know it certainly lives up to its name. In fact, when the red recording light is on it almost looks like Glados is perched in front of me: let's hope she doesn't take over.

So this week I've gone from batting them indie reviews out and instead jumping head first into the deepest MMO I have ever played. Black Desert Online from the Korean developer Pearl Abyss recently arrived in the EU and North America after getting the localization treatment. With a fairly light few weeks ahead I decided to take the plunge and see what it has to offer. I am trying something slightly new with the review and in fact doing it in stages. The first section I am called a road trip which will effectively be a journal covering my findings and adventures: a final review will follow when I feel I've seen enough of the game. You can find my first chapter and video in the articles section so please check it out.Additionally, if you do have any questions or would like me to look at something specific in the game then email me at Riggedforepic@gmail.com

Hackers and cheats have become a permanent part of PC gaming and there are very few multiplayer games that go unscathed. The Division has been getting crucified in recent weeks by players exploiting glitches and unlimited damage hacks. Ubisoft has been slow to respond but under increasing pressure from the industry they have finally started banning players for unscrupulous behaviour. The problem is that even if they vanquished all the hackers tomorrow, the games content library is still woefully lacking. The latest piece of content was pitched as something very special but is effectively just a single room with fifteen waves of enemies. The base game and its free updates post launch had to sell the paid DLC further down the line (assuming you didn't already own a season pass) and they have fallen short of the mark. There is just too little here for me to consider paying for more broken promises, so given there are far more interesting games out there to review I will be focusing my limited time on them.

This week the PC version of Dark Souls 3 has also been getting hit by the hackers and so given this has been a bit of a theme recently I have decided to write an article on cheaters, hackers and them there pirate folks. Look out for it in the articles section this week.

The Overwatch open beta goes live today for anyone who pre-purchased or was given a friends key (I am one of the latter). My initial impressions are it is fast, fun and more polished that a teenager's johnson. I will be recording some footage and be typing up an impressions piece this week so watch out for that. With the second instalment of Hitman is waiting in the wings and an avalanche of new games on the horizon my quiet month with BDO is starting to become a little hectic but damn it aren't we so lucky for having all these games to play.

That's all for now guys, if you don't already please follow me @riggedforepic and pop back to the site for new content soon. You can also find me on YouTube under the Rigged for Epic name and we will be seeing far more video content henceforth.

For years the games industry was on a fairly even keel, consoles were happy in their well-trodden groove, PC was secretly planning to take over the world and VR was still a cautionary tale for new emerging tech. In the last two years, old gaming institutions have been weathering the winds of change and many giants of the old world are scrambling to catch up.

This year at E3 Sony is expected to show off what has been dubbed the PS4.5 (codenamed NEO), same as the last but with more oomph. This news has left many PS4 owners (including myself) feeling a little short changed and rightly so because console cycles are meant to last longer than three years. Unfortunately for Microsoft and Sony technology is moving fast, faster than they would like I would wager and in more directions than one. To be fair Sony are trying to at least show willing with PlayStation VR and many believe the new PS4 is being released to power their VR headset. Apart from the Holo-lens Microsoft have yet to announce any VR plans but I would not be at all surprised if they cosy up with Oculus and use their VR headset on their own (with a new more powerful Xbox One presumably). So why am I wittering on about console comings and goings?

Well, the other reason I think we have seen a sudden urgency to double down on power is that it's been excruciatingly obvious for a while now, that PC is not only vastly more powerful but many console players are making the jump to PC. I'm sure the question 'what can we do?' has been passed around many executive boardrooms. Microsoft has also been scrambling to profess their new love (again) for PC gaming by resurrecting Games for Windows Live into an even more restrictive and stifling iteration: geez thanks Microsoft. In case, you didn't know Microsoft have now started launching games on their Universal Windows Platform (UWP) but pretty much everyone has seen this for what it is: Microsoft seeking to monopolies PC gaming and strip it of the very things that make it special. Thankfully gamers and industry leaders seem to be speaking out against Microsoft: check out these two articles from the Guardian and PC Gamer.

A release date has leaked this week, June the 7th is penned for the next (and last) piece of DLC from CDProjekt Red's The Witcher 3. Blood and Wine is set to give players another twenty hours of gameplay in a previously unexplored area of Nilfgaard called Touissant. My plan is simple, start a fresh game a few weeks before this date and savour every moment again, then move into the DLC and write one final summary piece for this groundbreaking RPG.

Further on from my rant last week, I have since cancelled my Vive order and am now going to wait for at least six months to see where it all stands. Both the Vive and Oculus are painfully light on games and the ones on offer are nothing more than tech demos but in the main being sold at full price. I am also seeing a disturbing amount of dithering from developers whether to support VR, especially on the Vive. One game I was really looking forward to trying on the Vive was Subnautica but last week, when asked when Vive support would arrive I got a tepid, 'maybe we will'. This has been the same story with games such as Adrift where the developers have stated they 'probably will support Vive' but with such a lacklustre response I'm wary.

Interestingly some clever gamers have just hacked the Oculus Rift so games that run on Facebooks headset can now be played on the Vive: seems this is not so difficult after all. Of course, I'm Sure Oculus will be swift in locking this down but I really hope they don't. Right now the VR market is an emerging genre and in my opinion, the forerunners should be working together: not boxing games off as exclusives like Oculus seem to be hell bent on doing.

I have published two reviews this week, you can find both Hyper Light Drifter and Enter the Gungeon in the review section. I also have an older game reviewed but you will need to check back in a few days for that little gem.

It's pretty amazing when you just stop and think about it, that I can type a few words right now and send them almost instantaneously to another person across the planet. This and many other marvels of modern living can sometimes be taken for granted. This may be the reason that I have been so thoroughly frustrated with HTC over the last few day because trying to reach the e-commerce team in that company is basically like trying to call god.

Just as the clock struck Midnight on Friday I had text from a friend saying that Payments for the HTC Vive were starting to be taken and many were bouncing back: the initial cause was thought to be overly efficient anti-fraud mechanisms. Best to be safe I thought as I called my bank and literally while in the queue waiting to be spoken to I got the text. So my payment had been stopped, no problem I thought, I'll just get them to take the money again tomorrow. A very long story short (and six hours on the phone) after being assured payment would be attempted again Saturday morning instead I received an email informing me my order had been cancelled. Local witnesses reported seeing a small mushroom cloud over the horizon of Manchester at around the same time. Since then I did find the one helpful member of the HTC customer support team and *fingers crossed* I will still receive shipment sometime in April. If anyone has had problems with this please don't hesitate to email me at riggedforepic@gmail.com and I will help as much as I can.

So who was to blame? Well if I'm honest partly myself for not using PayPal and also not informing my bank ahead of time. However if what I have been reading is true the payments being knocked back were also partly the fault of Digital River, the company used to handle e-commerce for the Vive's shipping. One thing that does lie squarely at HTC's feet is the truly shambolic customer support I have been exposed to: from being left on hold until the call expired, very poor quality call audio (often sounding like they were working in an open-top sports car) and just generally being unable to help. Ok rant over, let us move on.

These last two weeks you may have noticed I've been fairly quiet and the reason being is I've had a fairly big operation on my leg: bed bound and in much more pain than usual I've been mostly listening to music and sleeping. The first game I dived into when able to sit back at my computer was a little gem called Stardew Valley, from a chap known as Concerned Ape. So I f you want to know what I thought of it please check out the reviews section, but the amazing story behind this game is that every single aspect was created by the lone developer. Sound impressive? Just wait until you play it. Stardew has been an awesome game to play while recovering as it completely absorbs your attention and can be quite serene at times.

So now I'm getting back to normal I've got a few games up for review and while I've been taking more of an interest in pixel adventures and indie games these next three will fit in very nicely. Enter the Gundeon, Hyper Light Drifter and Dead Star will all be getting the review treatment this week: if I can pry myself away from my farm that is.

Last but certainly not least I would just like to point some attention to a friend who is in the business of building custom made PC rigs. For now, I don't have any advertising on the site but if I see something I like I will mention it and obviously his quest to build people awesome gaming PC's fits with my own direction. I also buggered up the link the last time I mentioned him so there's that. Please check out Building a Gaming PC site.

I have never been to New York, despite it being top of my 'must see places' list for a long time: after this week, I would know my way around just that little bit better. In case it's not obvious I have been playing The Division pretty much every day since launch and the big surprise? It's actually a decent game but that praise comes with a few caveats.

The launch was fairly successful with an initial twenty-four hours of choppy connectivity and the servers going down altogether. However this is to be expected (but not accepted) with any big online game and while you would have thought the world was ending in some corners of the internet, the game now seems stable. As far as I can see The Division has been a commercial success (Ubisoft's most successful new IP in history no less), media sites have also given out some decent scores and indeed my own review was overall positive. There is, however, an undercurrent of discontent regarding many of the games systems and I do think players have got plenty of reasons to be a little worried. The main problem thus far seems to be structured content - or lack thereof.

Myself any many others have been at level cap now for days and apparently the 'real game' starts here - but if I am honest there is not a huge amount to write home about in the current build. Players are invited to complete daily missions on challenge mode which pits you against tougher foes that drop better loot - if you can get them down. Myself and my friends have had some amazing fun in these missions and to get through you do need razor sharp communication/teamwork. But for a game that was pegged to keep us busy for weeks/months we do seem to be running out of road and fast. The fact Microsoft have snatched a thirty-day exclusivity deal for the first two DLC packs is also going to add fuel to the problem and, unfortunately, I don't think people are going to hang around that long. I question the wisdom of alienating two-thirds of your player base in a game so new, even if MS dropped a big pot of cash the overall negatives do not seem worth it. I watched Angry Joe give his final opinion in his usual angry way and I have to say I agree with his entire summary: the game is lacking so much and it is not the game we were sold by the hype train.

As the VR horizon ebbs ever closer the gaming world is buzzing with news, from games, applications and people deciding which camp they will reside in come spring: team Rift or Team Vive. Right now I am still the most excited to try Elite Dangerous and Subnautica running in VR but I have also seen some very cool things in the pipeline. As I am currently sitting squarely in team Vive's camp I have been keeping an eye on the comings and goings. Valve have announced a VR desktop mode which allows users to play 'none-VR' games in a VR space, even watching films will benefit from this theatre mode and it all sounds awesome. Expect more details to emerge out of GDC. We have also just seen a very cool Trials on Tatooine trailer which looks like an interactive VR movie, Valve really is pulling out all the stops to make the Vive the gamers choice for a VR experience.

The other big game popping onto my radar this week is the new episodic Hitman from Square Enix. As I am just digging my teeth into it, for now, I will hold off judgement until my review is done - but early impressions are very good. I have been a fan of the series since the very first game and while Agent 47 has seen some highs and lows this latest offering is looking like a return to form: however some are understandably cautious about this piecemeal way of delivering content. We shall see in time and I am hoping to have a review out by the end of this week.

That's all for now guys, as always please tell your friends about my site and check back soon for more reviews and articles. If you do see a game you think needs to be reviewed please let me know at riggedforepic@gmail.com and I shall take a look. You can also follow me @riggedforepic and find me on YouTube under the same name.

Games can sometimes be likes buses, you wait for an age and then three come along at once! This month has been absolutely awesome and I've hardly had time to write reviews for the games I've been playing. First we had Rise of Tomb Raider, then XCOM 2 and finally on the same day a few games dropped at once. I have just finished off my Firewatch review and will now be moving straight onto Dying Light: the Following. Firewatch is just a beautiful game that everyone should play: check out my none-spoiler take on it in the reviews section.

As I've stated my main goal was to get the XCOM 2 review out of the door but still keep to one of my founding goals for the site: that every game I review must have been played extensively and get the time it deserves before I give you my honest opinion. It was frustrating for me that the NDA lifted on XCOM 2 so early that most game sites had their reviews live four days before I even started playing. Please don't take my frustration as chagrin towards these sites, it's great they got early access and had a chance to test the game - this way they can give players a really good review before release and let players have an informed choice. However I do see myself more and more in a chicken and the egg situation: hits need relevant reviews and reviews that come out six days after the rest are not very relevant.

So yes, getting visibly is certainly one of the major challenges in setting up a game review site and for anyone else doing the same as me you have my support and sympathy. That all said I love a challenge and I also remember this project was primarily started because I love writing.

So back to games, you can find my thoughts on XCOM 2 and Rise of the Tomb Raider in the reviews section.

In other news I saw this week that Ubisoft have confirmed Watchdogs 2 is in development and will also be with us in 2017. Assuming they started working on it right after the first game this is a reasonable development cycle. I just desperately hope they stay well away from making false promises and hype videos this time around: just make the damn game guys. It was such a shame because to spite the disappointing aspects of Watchdogs it was actually a great game with tonnes of good ideas. Snooping into people's lives and hacking into other people's games was really fun: in fact it was my favourite part of the entire thing. Let's hope they also ditch the lead protagonist and his supporting characters as they were possibly of one the most negative aspects of the title. Just while on Ubisoft If co-op shooters are your thing the open beta for The Division has just finished and you can see my second set of impressions for it in the preview section - release is set for the 8th of March.

There has also been a little bit of controversy over the announcement from Microsoft that Quantum Break will be arriving on PC as well as Xbox One: like we didn't see that one coming. One content maker in particular has received lots of attention for stating he is cancelling his preorder of said game due to it now being on PC. Honestly, the mind boggles how these people ever become popular in the first place. In addition Microsoft have said the game will only be available on the Windows Store and for Windows 10: Games for Windows Live all over again? It is an interesting topic so expect to see an article on exclusives very soon.One last thing guys, a friend of mine who promotes a website for PC systems has asked me to give him a nod on the site so here it is. If you are thinking about building a system he had tonnes of advice, helpful links and guides on his site - so check them out HERE

So that's it for now guys, if you don't already please follow me on Twitter @riggedforepic as well as on YouTube under the same name. I hope your gaming is epic wherever you are and I'll catch you next time.